Session: 05-02: Liquid Waste Treatment Process and Experience

Paper Number: 118302

118302 - Field Testing Report of Low-Cost In-Situ Characterization of Vllrw and Llrw With Direct Digitization and Waste Classification via Innovative Radhand Integrated Into the Reach™ System vs Classic Hpge Technique. 

A key aspect of operational activities and radioprotection in NPP is the management of nuclear waste. Providing efficient and reliable real-time radionuclide concentrations contributes invaluable information while processing nuclear waste as it can in turn reduce costs with packaging, transportation, and disposition for NPPs. Currently, waste characterization uses HPGe to determine the radionuclide concentrations and isotopes abundances. This requires NPPs to be equipped with a laboratory on site as well as radiological experts and immense amounts of time and effort to obtain the results for well-defined gamma-emitting radionuclides which are easily detectable. Current characterization practices involve obtaining waste stream specific distributions which are then applied to all waste packages of the same waste stream type. This type of analysis is typically performed by HPGe detectors whom the main drawbacks are the typical long measurement times, the time for post process analysis, and the high entry cost. We developed a faster and user-friendly waste characterization toolkit which represents a step change in the characterization of LLRW. It is intended for all waste packages for open geometry measurements by providing a low-cost detection technology with an easily transportable device. It directly

measures gamma dose rates and gamma emitting activity by radionuclide for packaged radioactive material. The RadHAND device is used for the gamma measurement and the data digitalization via RFID technology. The system can track the uniquely identified WP using the attached RFID tag and restore the WP characterization history using the database. This paper will show results for tests made with the RadHAND which measured real package radioactive waste from NA commercial power plants to evaluate its performances in fixed geometry configuration. The feasibility to substitute the old typical procedure based on HPGe characterization with this new system are analyzed and showed an OPEX saving of 1/20 that may lead to a saving between 1000-5000 €/day.

Laboratory and then field testing for the RadHAND integrated in the REACg™ System has been completed and shows that it is able to effectively detect the gamma emitting radionuclides present in the packaged radioactive waste. The results were in good agreement with those found with a HPGe detector and the total gamma emitters found were within 10%. The RadHAND results for the 55-Gallon Drums on the aggregate were about six percent lower than the HPGe results. The RadHAND characterization results were over 20% lower on the average than the waste generator results.

RadHAND has the capability to detect gamma emitters very quickly with the Dynamic acquisition time that is completed in a matter of seconds. Dynamic acquisition times for the packages analyzed ranged from 1 to 19 seconds with all but 2 packages analyzed in less than 10 seconds. The Dynamic results observed during testing were in good agreement with acquisition times up to 5 minutes. One of the final tests done during testing was a “walk-around” spectra acquisition on a 20’ intermodal container where 6 readings were taken on the container. The walk-around acquisitions were completed in about 1 minute and the results were within 4% of those obtained using fixed detector locations with acquisition times totaling more than 20 minutes.

There were some discrepancies observed regarding radionuclide identification for isotopes with close peak energies. This was expected due to the relatively low resolution of NaI(Tl) detectors. Modifications were made to the software logic to better detect Ag-110m when present. A secondary gamma library will be incorporated to improve Ag-110m detection and additional modifications will be made to address the Mn-54/Cs-134 discrepancies. The total activity of the unidentified isotopes totaling less than the 1% of the grand total activity of the waste package.

Presenting Author: Giacomo Mangiagalli CAEN SpA

Presenting Author Biography: Giacomo Mangiagalli is a field application specialist with a master degree in physics and 6+ years of experience in civil nuclear industry and CRBNe security. My education gave me a mathematical and rational approach strongly oriented to problem solving. My work experience put me in contact with nuclear industry customers (B2B, B2G) and with their technical issues related to nuclear physics and detector configuration. I'm the product manager of the SNIPER-GN an innovative special nuclear material backpack identifier and I'm currently the CBRNe product specialist. I attended to the main conference in the CBRNe sector in IAEA or at exhibition like CBRNe convergence, NCT, intelligence.sec, SiCC, etc.
I spoke in the main session of the conference I attended to present the CAEN SyS solution.